As you venture into the heart of Downtown Kelowna and along the scenic Lakeshore, you'll discover a vibrant wine community that blends urban charm with stunning lakeside views. Here's your guide to exploring the wineries of Downtown Kelowna and Lakeshore.
In the heart of the Okanagan Valley, Kelowna stands as the birthplace of BC’s wine industry. The region’s rich viticulture heritage dates back over a century, when the first vines were planted. The area’s first commercial winery, Calona Wines, was founded in the early 1930s, marking the beginning of the Okanagan’s flourishing wine industry.
Today, the region is celebrated for its diverse array of award-winning wineries. There are close to 40 wineries in Kelowna and its surrounding communities, including West Kelowna and Lake Country, many of which have continued to evolve their farming and viticulture practices to be more sustainable.
This year, to celebrate the region and encourage visitors and locals to visit its exceptional wineries, Tourism Kelowna launched the #exploreKelowna Wineries Pass. Through this Guide to Wine Touring Series, we’ll introduce you to the wineries featured through the pass and give tips to make your wine touring experience memorable, informative, and fun!
Wine Touring in Downtown Kelowna and Along the Lakeshore Route
Sandhill Winery. Image credit: Shawn Talbot Photography
What better way to kick off your wine tour than by starting at the heart of it all? Downtown Kelowna is where Calona Vineyards was established, and today, in the building adjacent to where Calona once operated, you’ll find its sister winery, Sandhill—both wineries were acquired by Andrew Peller Ltd. in 2005.
In Sandhill’s spacious and beautifully decorated urban tasting room, you can sample the winery’s single vineyard and small lot wines all year round. Sandhill’s winemaker, Sydney Valentino—who worked closely with well-respected winemakers Sandy Leier and Howard Soon—uses techniques designed to highlight the naturally occurring fruit flavours in the wine, showcasing the power of its vineyards.
During the winery’s daily happy hour, kicking off at 3 p.m., enjoy a glass of wine for $8, alongside a selection of small bites. Thanks to the walkability and small footprint of downtown Kelowna, you can access the winery in many ways, including taking a stroll along the waterfront and exploring the nearby shops, craft breweries, art galleries, and more.
Tantalus Vineyards. Image credit: Shawn Talbot Photography
From there, travel south from downtown along Lakeshore Road to find more wineries to explore. Heading slightly east along scenic roadways, you’ll end up at Tantalus Vineyards. While the state-of-the-art, LEED-certified winery has been crafting single-vineyard wines, most notably Riesling, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir, since 2004, the first vines were planted on the site in 1927, making it one of the oldest continuously producing vineyards in BC.
The views from Tantalus’ sleek, modern tasting room, where you’ll be surrounded by work from some of Canada’s most acclaimed artists, are breathtaking, looking west over the rows of vines towards Okanagan Lake and the city centre.
Summerhill Pyramid Winery. Image credit: Ken Hagen
Nearby, with equally stunning views, you’ll find Summerhill Pyramid Winery. Owned by the Cipes family since the mid-80s, Summerhill’s vineyard entered the organic certification process in 1988. Summerhill is recognized as a Certified B Corporation for having positive social and environmental impacts.
Onsite, you can visit Summerhill’s Pyramid, a replica of the Great Pyramid in Egypt, which has sacred geometry. Each bottle of Summerhill’s 100% organic wines is cellared in the Pyramid, producing smooth, aromatic, award-winning wines. The winery’s onsite restaurant, Nature’s Table, offers a robust menu with numerous vegetarian and vegan options.
Recommended Route for Wine Touring
Tantalus Vineyards. Image credit: Shawn Talbot Photography
Sandhill Winery is easy to find in Kelowna’s North End, along Richter Street, one of downtown’s main thoroughfares.
To access the Lakeshore Route wineries from there, you’ll want to head west along Clement Avenue from Richter Street. If you’re driving, Clement Avenue will transition through several name changes—Water Street, Pandosy Street—before becoming Lakeshore Road.
If you’re riding a bike or scooter, cut through Waterfront Park from Clement Avenue to access the waterfront boardwalk, which will wind its way through downtown and eventually allow you to access Abbott Street, which eventually connects with Lakeshore Road via Cedar Avenue. Biking to the wineries is possible, but keep in mind that the area beyond Pandosy has many hills, so it can be more of a challenge than the flat pathways and roadways downtown.
There are several ways to access Tantalus Vineyards from Lakeshore Road, though the most direct is by heading east on DeHart Road all the way to the winery. You’ll make your way back to Lakeshore Road and continue south onto Chute Lake Road to access Summerhill Pyramid Winery.
Book a Guided Tour to Explore Downtown and the Lakeshore Route
Sandhill Winery Tasting Bar. Image credit: Shawn Talbot Photography
To make exploring even easier, why not join a guided wine tour? With expert guides, comfortable transportation, and various pricing options, you can’t go wrong!
Here are a handful of options you can select from to explore the wineries mentioned above:
- Canadian Craft Tours offers a Kelowna Wine Tour, which includes visits to 4 wineries (Sandhill, Tantalus, and Summerhill are among the options). Groups of 8 or more can also book a private tour, which includes an optional sit-down lunch at Summerhill. Every tour includes a behind-the-scenes experience.
- Carefree Wine Tours full-day, private Kelowna Wine Tour includes visits to 5 wineries along Lakeshore and East Kelowna, including Summerhill and Tantalus. A lunch stop can be added upon request.
- Kelowna Concierge offers a few signature half-day wine tours and several private wine tour options. The private Lakeshore/Southeast Kelowna Tour stops at all three wineries mentioned above, while the Lush Lakeshore Half-Day Tour includes Summerhill Pyramid Winery. The Kelowna Concierge team can also create a customized tour to fit your group's preferences, or once you're done exploring downtown, you can access their hop-on, hop-off JPC Trail Tour Bus.
- Lust 4 Luxury Tours is ideal for small groups, who will enjoy their wine tour in a luxury Mercedes-Benz AMG SUV; larger groups can be accommodated upon request. The Private Custom Kelowna Wine Tours will include visits to 4-5 wineries, of which Sandhill, Tantalus, and Summerhill can be included, along with an optional lunch stop.
- Mojo Tours includes all three wineries in its Kelowna Wine Tour, welcoming up to 12 people for the 6.5-hour tour, which includes tastings at five wineries.
- Valhalla Helicopters will have you soaring through the sky on its Heli Wine Tours. Winery selections depend on geographical proximity (Summerhill Pyramid Winery does have a helipad for landing).
Get the Free #exploreKelowna Wineries Pass
Summerhill Pyramid Winery. Image credit: Ken Hagen
Before you set out to visit the wineries in Kelowna, West Kelowna, and Lake Country, be sure to sign up for the #exploreKelowna Wineries Pass. Collect points at each participating winery, including those highlighted in this post, and redeem them for great prizes. All participants are also entered into a quarterly draw for a wine-themed prize pack valued at over $350.
